Naga Talks: Manipur Team in Delhi to Protect State's Interest

New Delhi: Amid reports of a final solution to the Naga talks, former Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Monday led a delegation to New Delhi to stress upon the Government of India to safeguard the state's territorial integrity.

Before leaving for the national capital, the former Manipur chief minister added that the people of the state would not accept any separate autonomous council if the decision was taken without their consent.

The delegation is also likely to insist upon the Centre to withdraw the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016, and resolve the ongoing imbroglio in the Manipur University.

The former chief minister said the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, currently under the scrutiny of the JPC, will lead to a demographic change in the Northeast and would endanger the culture of the indigenous population.

As per reports, the final hurdle in the conclusion of the two-decade-old Naga talks is the NSCN (IM)'s demand for the inclusion of Naga-inhabited areas of Manipur in the proposed "Greater Nagalim". The Centre is apprehensive of conceding to this demand of NSCN (IM) as it anticipates the outbreak of violence and riots in the Imphal Valley, if this demand is met. Imphal valley had erupted in 2001, leading to the death of 13 people, when the Centre extended the ceasefire with the NSCN (IM) from Nagaland to neighboring Manipur.

Also, Assam's Dima Hasao district saw widespread violence earlier this year on the basis of an unofficial report that parts of the hill district of Assam would be included in the proposed Nagalim.

Considering the sentiment of the people of Assam, Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh against the demand for the proposed Greater Nagalim, which includes parts of all three states, it is likley to be seen whether the Centre's accedes to this core demand of the NSCN (IM).